Extensible costumer



J. M. LANE EXTENSIBLE COSTUMER arch i0, 1942.

Filed June 15, 1959 Patented Mar. 10, 1942 UNITED STATES PATE @FFICE 3 Claims.

This invention pertains to an extensible and retractible costumer for hanging either a large or small number of garments.

At social aiairs, receptions and parties in homes the disposition of the wraps and hats of the guests becomes quite a problem. The housewife does not approve of laying them on beds,

as is usually done, nor of draping them over chairs. Likewise, at conventions, club meetings and assemblies the same problem exists. Racks suiciently large to accommodate a large number of garments are unsightly and cumbersome, occupying entirely too much space when not in use.

The general idea of a costumer separable into relatively adjustable sections interconnected by a hanger rail or bar is not broadly new. l-Iowever, those therefore devised have possessed sundry flexible joints or hinged members the connections of which become loose, and have lacked the necessary rigidity. Moreover, such prior adjustable devices have been limited to definite size when extended and have not possessed the adjustability necessary to accommodate them approximately to varying numbers or quantities of Wraps. A further deficiency of such prior extensible hanger racks has been lack of provision for accommodating hats in association with particular garments.

In the present instance the separable halves of the costumer when extended are connected by a telescopic tubular hanger rail having rigid releasable coupling engagementwith the respective supporting members and the associated garment hangers are each provided with projecting hat supporting arms.

The object of the invention is to provide an extensible and contractible garment rack which may not only be economically manufactured, but

will be ecient in use, capable of being easily and quickly extended and contracted, of stable, rigid character when extended, and of compact form when retracted, having a minimum number of parts and no hinge joints.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of hanger rail and coupling means therefor for securely and rigidly connecting the rail with the spaced supporting members.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the parts of the structure that portions carried by one or the other of the separable halves of the initial costumer will overlap and interlock with the opposing 'half thereof to maintain the -parts in registering assembled `relation when retracted.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for conveniently locking the separable supporting elements in close relation when the rack is retracted.

A further but nonetheless important feature of the invention is the provision in association therewith of special coat hangers having hat supporting extensions integral therewith.

Withr the above primary and other incidental objects in View as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein is shown the preferred j but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention,

Fig, l is a perspective View of an extensible and contractible costumer embodying the present invention in its retracted or collapsed condition,

Fig. 2 is a perspective View thereof in extended condition showing a garment and hat suspended thereon and an additional specially constructed coat and hat hanger for use with the present support.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View 'of the divisible upright pr standard of the present costumer showing the telescopic extension rail enclosed therein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail View partly in section of the interlocking upper and lower portions of the standard.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the interlocking coupling between the supporting standards and the suspension rail.

' Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The present device when in contracted condition as illustrated in Fig. 1 is a costumer of conventional appearance, comprising a standard I having laterally disposed supporting feet 2, which may be of any desired shape or design.

At the top the standard carries the usual hanger hooks 3, which likewise may be of any desired ornamental shape or design. The standard and one pair of oppositely disposed feet 2 are divisible on the vertical medial plane thereof into two halves as illustrated in Fig. 2. Each half `unit is self-supporting on three feet 2. The adjacent faces of the separable halves of the standard l are longitudinally grooved at 4 to receive and enclose therein a telescopic tubular hanger rail 5.

The rail 5 comprises a plurality of sections,` of which but two are illustrated, which are axially slidable one within the other to Varying extent. The terminal ends of the telescopically adjustable members are provided with solid fittings 6, which are peripherally grooved at 1 to aord a neck and a button or heady 8. Secured flush with the contiguousfaces of the separable halves of the standard I are coupling plates 9 as shown in Fig. 5. Each coupling plate has therein a keyhole slot I0, adjacent to which the rear marginal faces of the plate. are slightly tapered or beveled longitudinally of the slot as at II. The headed fittings 6 of the hanger rail 5 are engageable in the keyhole slots of the respective coupling plates, and by being forcibly pressed downwardly the tapered margins of the slots are wedged firmly in the peripheral grooves 'I of the fittings to securely and rigidly lock the hanger rail and supporting standards to each other.

Such mode of intercoupling has been found to be quite advantageous and obviates many disadvantages of hinge joints and the use of braces. After the rail has been interengaged with the respective halves of the initial standard I, these half costumers are further moved apart a greater or less distance proportionate to the number of garments to be suspended thereon.

The devices heretofore constructed which have the initial proportions of a conventional costumer have a capacity when fully extended of approxin'iatelyv forty garments and hats.

` To accommodate a hat with each garment, the disposition of which is usually as great a problem as that of the garment, a number of triangular wire coat hangers I2 of conventional shape are provided, except that each coat hanger I2 has formed thereon an upwardly and outwardly extending arm I3 on which to hang a hat. Such hangers are usually formed from a single length of wire bent upon itself with one terminal end formed into a hanger hook I4 about the shank of which the opposite end of the length of wire is wrapped. In the present instance such wrapped end of the stock wire is continued upwardly and outwardly and formed into a terminal loop I5 over which a hat may be hung. When disconnected for compact reassembly within the standard I, the hanger rail 5 is telescopically retracted to its minimum length for insertion in the registering grooves 4 of the standard halves. At the lower end of the groove 4 of one member is a projecting block I6 having in its top a recess into which the lower end of the contracted telescopic rail 5 is seated. The upper end of the rail is held within the groove 4 by a retainer loop I1. The opposite half of the standard has therein a recess I8 coincident with the lower end of the groove 4 therein, into which the recessed block I6 projects when the parts are assembled together. Thus the block I6 duofunctionally serves not only as a seat for the contracted hanger rail 5, but also as a dowel or locating means to insure exact registry of the respective halves of the costumer when in compacted form. To the same end two of the hanger hooks 3 carried by one-half of the standard are provided with lips I9 which overlap the other half of the standard when the costumer is collapsed as in Fig. 1. These lips serve to locate the respective halves of the upright in exact registry with each other. To lock the sections in assembled relation a iinal block is provided, with spaced studs 2| of unequal length which engage in corresponding bores in the respective half standards, to thereby hold the sections against separation. By lifting the nial block sufficiently to clear the shorter stud 2|, one of the halves of the standard is released. The nial block may be rotated about the longer stud 2| into and out of locking relation.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the charlacter described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportion, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its ady vantages.

y While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An extensible garment rack, comprising a costumer separable into two self-supporting halves, the adjacent faces of which are longitudinally grooved, a telescopic hanger rail, comprising plural slidingly adjustable sections engageable within the registering grooves, a recessed bracket on one-half costumer projecting within a recess in the other half costumer, the recess in which affords a socket to receive and support the lower end of the hanger rail, headed terminals on the hanger rail, anchor plates secured to the contiguous inner faces of the half costumers having keyhole slots therein within which the headed terminals of the hanger rod are detachably engageable, the thickness of the anchor plates contiguous to the margins of the keyhole slot being tapered to enable a wedging engagement between the headed terminals of the hanger rail and anchor plates, hanger brackets on at least one of the costumer halves overlapping the other costumer half when said halves are assembled to locate said halves in registry with each other.

2. An extensible garment rack, including a hol low costumer separable into two self-supporting halves, a hanger rail having headed terminals normally disconnected from and enclosed within the hollow costumer, anchor plates having keyy hole slots therein secured to the contiguous faces of the respective costumer halves, Within the slots of which the headed terminals of the rail are detachably engageable when the costumer halves are separated, the margins of the keyhole slots being of tapered thickness, enabling a tight Wedging engagement of the headed terminals therein, the engagement therein being sufficient alone to support the costumer halves rigidly in relatively spaced relation.

3. An extensible and contractible garment rack, including a costumer vertically separable into halves, the contiguous faces of the respective halves being grooved to contain a detachable hanger rail, and a socket member projecting from one of the costumer halves into a registering recess in the other costumer half and recessed in its top to duofunctionally register the costumer halves one with the other when assembled and receive the lower end of the hanger rail to support the rail within the registering grooved recesses of the assembled costumer.

JOHN M. LANE.

CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. patent No. 2,27 6,211. March 10,119Lp2', 'l

' JOHN M. LANE.

It is hereby Certified that error,luvpeensv in the printed specificetion of the above numbered patent requiring Correction ae follows: l gage 1, first column, line 18, for'the word. "therefore", read "heretofore-; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in thevPatent Office. I

signed a'nd sealed this 12th day of may, A. D. 191m. l

A Henry Van Aredale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Batents. 

